Two Tutus

Archbishop Desmond Tutu won the 2010 African Lifetime Achievement Award from the Millennium Excellence Awards Foundation, a prize normally confered in December (it is given every five years), but because he is with us on Semester at Sea and unable to attend the ceremony, Ghana organized a series of ceremonies in his honor while we were docked here. One of the major sponsors is H.R.M. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of the Ashanti.The Foundation invited a delegation to accompany the Archbishop, so the Academic Dean (me!), five studentsand two members of the Communication Team spent two days in the company of some rather extraordinary people. I will recount these two days briefly, or otherwise I'll slip into a Tolstoy novel; the rich details, the experience, the people -- all out of the "not to be believed" category. The condensed version: the trip included one Nobel-prize winning Archbishop (and a Mrs.), one king, numerous chieftens, one Vice President, one daughter of a former president, various Captains of Industry, five wonderful students, one Ambassador (called "High Commissioner" in local parlance), and 8 siren-blaring motorcades.

First, the stars: Desmond and Leah Tutu. What elegance, what charm, what inclusiveness, what love. Two extraordinary people who are revered in Africa; he is a rock star and to witness the people's reaction to seeing him, hearing him, and touching him, is inspiring. We flew from Takoradi (southwest coast) to Kumasi (capital of the Ashanti nation, in the central region) to Accra (the political capital, southeast coast) and back again to Takoradi. At each stop, a welcoming committee of celebrities, dancers, drummers, horns [horns, king of the guards]and local dignitaries received the delegation; the Archbishop spoke; and we moved on to the next event. The highlight (without a doubt) was the durbara local drum ceremony that pays homage to the King and any distinguished guests. It was two hours of drumming and spectacle; color and praise; noise and excitement; beauty and pagentry. I was overwhelmed, and could have sat there for another two hours taking the whole thing in.

We met the King, were introduced formally to the chiefs, received gifts (kinte cloths)and shook a thousand hands. A luncheon at the palace lasted well into the late afternoon
and we repaired to the Golden Tulip Hotel (the owners of which are one of the Millennium sponsors, a very elegant couple trained at Wharton) for a late (and very delicious) dinner. The Archbishop and I were interviewed on Ghanaian TV (!).An early flight to Accra to meet the Vice President of the country (the president is in China on a state visit, 54]), then to the offices of the Anglo Gold Ashanti mining corporation (another sponsor), which has created a notable malaria-eradication program. Lunch at the hotel with more local dignitaries (including another former president of the country as well as Samia Nkruma, the daughter -- and Member of Parliament -- of the first president of Ghana, the admirable Kwame Nkruma).Back to Takoradi, exhausted and elated. Thank you, Archbishop and Mrs. Tutu, for a memorable experience.

Ghana

Ghana is going to need two blog entries. We have seen from the very top of the pile (kings, chiefs, hyper-educated businessmen and politicians) to the very bottom (individuals seemingly stuck in abject poverty). But throughout we have all been struck by the overwhelming kindness of the people, and the warm, generous reception we have received everywhere. I'll save the king for the next entry.Takoradi is an industrial port (major exporter of cocoa beans) with a vibrant street life, but we took off east along the coast past fishing villages until we reached the two major castles, Cape Coast and Elmina, from which several million people were dispatched to the New World, as part of the notorious Transatlantic Slave Trade.Ghana is a country in need, and I think that this visit has opened many students' eyes to the disparities of world economics. They have done a lot of service projects (Habitat, orphanages, home stays, schools, a water-purification project) and I hear them talking animatedly of figuring out ways to sustain the contacts they have made. Let's hope they do; the Archbishop believes they will, and I'm betting he's right.

Back to Class

After nearly 9 days in port (Spain and Morocco) we've struggled to get back into focus for the academic part of this enterprise. But we're there: classes resumed peacefully, the students are settling down to do their work, and the overall mood is still exhuberant. Herein, some random shots.Today in Global Studies, Cathy Rodgers, whose two daughters are SaS students (one on the ship with us now), gave a brilliant presentation on sustainability. Cathy is Vice President of Global Initiatives for IBM, is a dynamic speaker (and person), and is passionately committed to making a difference in the world. The students levitated as she spoke about global warming, preservation of resources, commitment, and individual action. An inspiring hour.
Otherwise, life is normal, that is, as normal as it can be when one is on a ship sailing around the world with a group of terrific students, first-rate faculty and staff, and extraordinary crew. What a pleasure; life is good.

Morocco

Casablanca was closed up tight for the end of Ramadan, and as we sat exhausted on a step (we failed to find a restaurant recommended by friends), a man passing by with a tajine (stew pot)and fresh yoghurt spied us, came toward us and handed us one of the yoghurt containers. "Salam." This encapsulates our experiences in this welcoming and fascinating country that has, I think, surprised a lot of our students who expected it to be less generous and less open than it is. We headed off for the ancient city of Fez, to a zillion-star hotelon the walls of the labyrinthine medina, the core of the city that is completely impenetrable without a guide.Our guide Achmed took us first to the local bakery, then to the tannery (the stench is overwhelming but the process both biblical and engrossing)to the rugmakersto the brassmakersand to the weavers (that's Carrie Douglass buying a throw for her bed).We dined twice in "riads," old palaces that now serve as a kind of bed and breakfast/country inn (they are all over the country).The colors and designs remind one rightfully of southern Spain, which was colonized by Arabs in 711.We toured the ceramic/mosaic production facility before returning to Casablanca and touring the monumental (3rd. largest in the Muslim world) mosque.This has been a moving and delightful experience, the students are "amazed" (this, along with "amazing," is the obligatory Semester at Sea word -- it just pops out of your mouth because of the richness of what we're doing and seeing), and we are learning extraordinary things about new cultures as we try to connect the dots on our voyage around the world.